Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting (Lord Carter of Barnes) has made the following statement.
	I am pleased to confirm the agenda items for which BERR has responsibility at the forthcoming Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Telecoms Council) in Brussels on 31 March 2009.
	There are only two substantive agenda items, the first of which is the adoption of Council conclusions on the Commission's Communication for an accessible information society. The UK welcomes and supports the timing of this communication which is in line with recommendations recently made in the cross-Government report "Delivering Digital Inclusion - An Action Plan for Consultation". Both the cross-Government paper and the Digital Britain report are also looking at what the Government can do to stimulate take-up and access of digital technologies in the UK.
	This will be followed by an exchange of views on the impact of the economic downturn on ICT and how ICT can boost the EU's economy. As the Government's interim Digital Britain report highlighted, ICT is one of the sectors which we all rely upon to underpin our whole economy, as its effective utilisation can deliver productivity gains to our citizens and enterprises. This discussion will provide an opportunity to introduce our thinking for taking Digital Britain forward, and listen to the plans and proposals other Ministers are considering to enable ICT to accelerate longer term growth.
	In addition to these two substantive items, there are four further items for which BERR has responsibility listed under any other business. The first of these will be an update from the Council presidency on negotiations on a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on interoperability solutions for European public administrations (ISA Programme). The UK supports the proposed programme as its predecessors have proved successful in delivering guidelines, common frameworks, studies on cross-border communication and IT—enabled service platforms for the delivery of community policies and activities.
	The presidency will then provide information on the recent 112 Day. To mark 112 Day in the UK, I wrote to other Government Departments who could play a role in raising awareness of the pan-European emergency number. We are currently undertaking follow up work on this with the Foreign Office and Identity and Passport Service (IPS).
	The Commission will then present their Communication on mobilising information and communication technologies to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low- carbon economy. The UK agrees with the aims of this Communication which seeks to raise awareness of the potential ICT has to improve efficiency of European enterprises, including public sector, systems and processes.
	Lastly, the presidency will provide an update on the review of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services. On the same day as the Council, the European Parliament are voting in Committee stage on this review package, followed by their plenary vote on 22 April. I will shortly be writing to you with explanatory memoranda on the Commission's response to the Council common position, and will take the opportunity to update you on the progress of negotiations.
	The Czech presidency are also hosting a ministerial lunch where Estonia is likely to be invited to make a presentation on their forthcoming conference on cyber security in Tallinn. Commissioner Reding will present the forthcoming communication on Communication and Information Infrastructure Protection. I understand the communication will recommend broad standards on the resilience of critical ICT infrastructure and on member states' national response capacity to ensure the provision of telecoms services.

Jack Straw: In my role as the Government' s anti-corruption champion I am pleased to inform the House that I have today laid before Parliament the draft Bribery Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny ("Bribery - Draft Legislation" Cm 7570). This is in accordance with the Government's Legislative Programme as set out in the written statement by my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House of Commons on 4 December 2008, Official Report, column 12WS.
	The Bill describes a modern, clear and consolidated law that will support our commitment to high ethical standards generally and will equip our courts and prosecutors to deal effectively with bribery of all kinds whether it occurs at home or abroad. I believe these provisions strike the right balance between clarity and detail, so as to allow for both legal certainty and the effective differentiation between bribery and the legitimate giving and receiving of advantages.
	Our current criminal law of bribery is old and anachronistic and can be difficult for prosecutors, courts and members of the public. Statutory law is fragmented and dates back to around the turn of the 20th century. It is unconsolidated, resulting in, inconsistencies of language and concepts between the various provisions and one or two small but potentially significant gaps in the law. The scope of the common law offence is unclear, adding to inconsistency and overall complexity. These issues have been noted at home and abroad, most notably by the OECD Bribery Working Group. It is clear that, from a purely legal perspective, the case for reform is strong.
	This is, however, much more than a desire for an orderly statute book. While the United Kingdom is recognised as one of the least corrupt countries in the world we do not underestimate the threat posed by bribery. If it is not kept in check bribery can destroy the integrity, accountability and honesty that underpin ethical standards in public and commercial life. By its very nature insidious and difficult to root out, bribery worldwide weakens democracy, impedes sustainable development and can undermine respect for human rights by supporting corrupt regimes.
	As advances in technology and communication enable ever more sophisticated means of committing and concealing crimes, we must ensure that our law provides our courts and prosecutors with the tools they need to combat such crime effectively. Over the years it has become clear that a law that has narrow national focus will not fulfil this role. The global economy is a reality. Modernisation of the law is therefore a priority, not only to deal effectively with those who offer or accept bribes in our business or public sectors, but also to reinforce transparency and accountability in our international business transactions.
	Law reform is one of the key elements of the UK's strategy against foreign bribery, which I am co-coordinating in my role as Government anti-corruption champion as announced in my statement of 2 October 2008. Concerted multilateral action is essential to tackle the global impact of bribery and related issues such as money laundering. Co-operation with our international partners is producing significant progress in areas such as the tracing, recovery and repatriation of money laundered misappropriated assets. In addition we are supporting effective implementation of the UN Convention against corruption, the OECD Bribery Convention and the Council of Europe's Criminal Law Convention on Corruption.
	The Bill builds on the Law Commission proposals set out in its report "Reforming Bribery" in November 2008. I would like to express my gratitude to the Law Commission for its excellent report. The Bill's principal provisions create two general offences; one dealing with the giving, promising, and offering of a bribe and the other with agreeing to receive or acceptance of a bribe. It provides a new discrete offence of bribery of a foreign public official and a new corporate liability offence of negligently failing to prevent bribery. The detail of these and the other remaining provisions of the Bill are explained in full in the explanatory notes published along side the Bill. My officials have shared details of our proposed legislation with colleagues in Scotland. It will be for the Scottish Ministers to consider whether any similar changes will be necessary to Scots law.